Amid scorching heat conditions, Delhi’s power demand reached 8,439 MW on Monday – the highest recorded in the city so far this year and the highest ever for the month of May.
Earlier this month, demand reached 8,231 MW on May 21 and 8,039 MW on May 20.
“Delhi’s peak power demand saw a sharp rise in May 2026 compared to previous years, reflecting the impact of intense and early summer. It has already crossed the 8,000 MW mark four times within six days,” a city power department official said.
According to data from the State Load Despatch Center (SLDC), demand peaked at 8,439 MW at 3.35pm on Monday.
Officials said this was the highest power demand ever recorded in Delhi during the month of May. The city’s demand did not exceed 8,000 MW at any time in May 2025. In comparison, the highest demand recorded in May 2024 was 8,302 MW, while in May 2023 it was 6,916 MW.
The data also showed that peak demand in Delhi remained higher last May compared to the previous two years on most days. Between May 1 and May 25, demand in 2026 exceeded demand on the corresponding day in 2025 by 20 days. It was also above 2024 levels on 18 of 25 days.
The trend of rising electricity demand began early this year. On April 27, Delhi’s peak demand crossed the 7,000 MW mark for the first time ever in April, reaching 7,078 MW. In contrast, the 7,000 MW threshold was only reached in May during 2024 and 2025.
Delhi’s energy demand has risen steadily over the past decade. After touching 7,016 MW in 2018, it rose to 7,409 MW on July 2, 2019, before declining during the pandemic year. Demand then resumed its upward trajectory, reaching 7,323 MW on July 2, 2021; 7,695 MW on June 29, 2022; And 7,438 MW on August 22, 2023.
In 2024, Delhi recorded the highest ever demand of 8,656 MW on June 19. The following year, the peak reached 8,442 MW on June 12.
Officials now expect the city’s demand to exceed 9,000 megawatts for the first time this summer.
“The expected peak demand of more than 9,000 megawatts represents an increase of more than 300% from the peak demand of 2,879 megawatts in 2002,” an official said.
Based on current demand trends, officials estimate that Delhi’s peak demand could exceed 10,000 MW by 2028-29, depending on weather conditions and consumption patterns.
A Discom official said that BSES disks have successfully met the peak requirements of 3,745 MW and 1,820 MW in their areas.
The disk companies said they are fully equipped to ensure reliable power supply to over 5.3 million consumers and nearly 22.5 million residents across Delhi. Preparations include long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs), bilateral ties, banking arrangements with other countries, and the deployment of demand forecasting systems based on artificial intelligence and machine learning to estimate load and maintain full-time supply.
A Tata Power-DDL spokesperson said the drive successfully met the peak demand of 2,416 MW, the highest so far this season, without any restrictions or grid interruptions.
“With the support of advanced load forecasting and predictive analytics, the company continues to ensure uninterrupted supply to consumers, even during extreme weather conditions,” the company spokesperson said.
